atkins



3 SheetsSheet 1.

J. ATKINS. HYDRAULIC STEERING APPARATUS FOR VESSBLS.

Patented Nov. 4, 1890;

W'ITJVESSE 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. ATKINS. HYDRAULIG STEERING APPARATUS FOR VESSELS. No. 439,716. v Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

' 3 Sheets-Shea; 3. J. ATKINS. A A

HYDRAULIC STEERING APPARATUS FOR VBSSELS. No. 439,716. I Patented Nov. 4,1890.

Wz'zn asses; Inventor.-

U ITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

JEARUM ATKINS, OF VVASHINGT-ON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

HYDRAU LIC STEERING APPARATUS FOR VESSELS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,716, dated November 4, 1890.

Application filed December 17, 1875.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEARUM ATKINS, of WVashington, District of Columbia, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Engines for Steering Ships, of which the following is a description.

The distinctive features of my invention consist, first, in the application of hydraulic pressure to the steering of ships, avoiding the very serious difliculty whichattends the employment for this purpose of steam or other elastic agents; second, in the direct connection of the piston-rod of the hydraulic engine with the tiller, thus combining extreme simplicity with the greatest possible strength third, in means of obviating the disastrous effects of the heavy strokes of the waves upon the rudder; fourth, in means for instantaneously detaching the hydraulic engine from the tiller and connecting therewith a capstan for steering by hand-power in the event of any accident by which the supply of fluid-pressure is cutoff; fifth, in means accessible to the steersman, whereby the latter is enabled to regulate at will the fluid-pressure upon the piston of the steering-engine, as may be needed to meet any emergency; sixth, in automatic valves opening in opposite directions, whereby excessive pressure forward or back may be relieved;

The rudders of ships in heavy weather be ing subjected to a constant succession of heavy strains from the action of the waves, must, in order to be efficient for steering, possess the power, not only to withstand such strains, but also, under the guidance of the operator, to move in any direction necessary to hold the ship to its course. Steam, being elastic, readily yields under any sudden accession of pressure, thus allowing the rudder to deviate from its needed position. \Vater, upon the other hand, which is non-elastic, entirely fills the operating-cylinder, and acts as an unyielding abutment for resisting the force of the waves.

In order to enable others to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe it, reference being had to the accompanying drawings- Figure 1 being a plan; Fig. 2, a partial longitudinal vertical section and a partial elevation; Fig. 3, a magnified longitudinal section of the cylinder and attachments; Fig. 4, a magnified detached side view of the piston; Fig. 5, a cross-section on line X X on Fig. 1; Fig. 6, a partial cross-section on line Y Y on Fig. 1 and a partial cross-section on line a a on Fig. 1; Fig. 7, a partial cross-section on line Z Z on Fig. 1; Fig. 8, a magnified vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the Water-pipe and attachments through which water is supplied to the hydraulic engine, similar letters referring to the same parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A is the cylinder bolted firmly to timbers fixed transversely upon the ships deck, B the piston, C the piston-rod, and D the toothed segmental crank or tiller fast to the top of the rudder-stem E. The connection of the piston-rod with the tiller is by means of the wrist-pin F, which works in a transverse mortise in the pistonrod in which an amount of play is allowed equal to the versed sine of the are described by the crank-pin, a box G being employed to reduce the friction and wear consequent upon the sliding motion of the wrist-pin in said mortise. The wrist-pin fits loosely in the tiller, as also in the box G, having a large head to prevent it from dropping through, and may be readily withdrawn when necessary. This piston is in the form of a wheel with many spokes and an equal number of ports or water-passages through it, and has upon either side a valve H for controlling the flow of water through said ports. These valves are of the form of hollow cylinders or sleeves which fit loosely upon the piston-rod, having radial armsor wings which correspond to the ports in thepiston, the number of wings upon each valve being one-half that of the ports. One of these valves is set to close each alternate port upon one side, and the other each alternate port upon the other side of the piston, all the ports being thus closed. Pins I, set in the piston-rod,prevent the valves from turning thereon, the holes in the hubs being elongated to allow the valves the necessary amount of motion. These valves are pressed up against the faces of the piston by the means of powerful springs J, which may be either volute or spiral or of any other desired form. The collars K and L, the former resting against a shoulder and the latter being screwed upon the end of the piston-rod, serve to hold the springs in place. These circular collars K and L, acting in conjunction with the hollow or recessed cylinder-heads, serve also as a dash-pot or a rctarder of the motion of the piston-that is to say, the cylinder being always filled with water, as the piston approaches the termination of its stroke the water contained in the recesses in the cylinder-heads in being sent through the annular passages Z Z resists the motion of the piston, the measure of such resistance being determined by the width of the passages, which may be made of any width which is found to be necessary. Again, the cylinder-heads may be made slightly conical internally for causing increased resistance of the water as the piston nears the end of its stroke, thus avoiding the possibility of any shock in consequence of the rudder being struck by a heavy sea and in the event of the springs J J not having sufiicient power to close the valves H. in time to prevent such a result. This piston in all ordinary steering serves the same purpose as though it were solid, and yet in the event of a blow from a wave upon the rudder of such violence as might endanger the breaking of the parts the valve against which the great pressure of the water is exerted will be forced open, when by the escape of a portion of water through the piston the rudder will yield to the shock, thus preventing accidents, but by the action of mechanism to be described farther on will be immediately forced back to its normal position.

\Vithin the cylindrical valve-case M is the tubular slide-valve N, which controls the action of the water through the annular ports 0 O and cylinder-ports P P upon the piston, water being supplied from the feed-pu mp of the engine through the pipe Q, and the pipe R conducting the exhaust-water either over the ships side or to the condenser of the engine. The valve N receives its initial motion for opening the ports from the pilot-wheel S through pinion T, fast upon its axis, and thence through the toothed rod U, lever V, link V, and valve-spindle X, and is carried back to its central position for closing the ports by the reflex action of the tiller when once in motion. To illustrate, let the valve be moved, as aforesaid-say one inchand let the pilot-wheel then remain for the time being stationary. It will be seen that the tiller will receive a corresponding though greatly-increased motion, and that through the action of the pedestal Y, fixed in the tiller, link Z, the before-named leverV,link X, and the valve-rod, the valve will be carried back to its central position for closing the ports, when the motion of the tiller will cease.

The relative range of movement of the piston and valve may be variable, as desired, by providing the lever V with an adjustable fulcrum, and for that purpose several holes a sufiice and are provided for the reception of a fulcrum-pin. Upon reversing the motion of the pilot-wheel an action exactly the reverse of that described takes place, the motion of the tiller being also reversed. The valve N being balanced and the steerslnan having great control over it, owing to the large size of the pilot-wheel as compared with the pinion T, which operates the valve, very little exert-ion is required to do the work of steering.

Upon the cylindrical column A, which is firmly set in the ships deck, (to the top of which is fixed the arm E for carrying the pilot-wheel) is fitted loosely the combined tubular capstan and pinion G, which in the event of failure of the water-power to operate the engine may be instantly dropped down into gear with the teeth upon the tiller, and the wrist-pin F being withdrawn from the tiller the hydraulic engine will be disengaged therefrom, when by the application of levers to the capstan the rudder can be controlled by hand-power while the damage to the hydraulic apparatus is being repaired.

A section of the water-pipe which leads from the pump to the steam-boiler is shown at D, Fig. 8, Q being the branch of said pipe, which conducts the water to the steering-engine, the arrows a a indicating the direction of the water in its passage to the boiler. The pipe has a spherical-shaped chamber F, within which there are two valves G and H, the valve G being for the purpose of increasing the fluid-pressure upon the steering-engine beyond that in the boiler, and the valve 11 allowing it to escape freely from the boiler back through pipe D and Q to the hydraulic engine whenever the boiler-pressure exceeds that in the pipe D.

\Vithin the hollow pedestal I and resting upon a shoulder on the spindle of valve G is a spiral spring J, by which said valve is pressed down upon its seat, the degree of pressure upon this spring and the resultant pressure in pipe D required to lift it being graduated at will by turning the screw K by means of a crank L, the sliding thimble M serving as a guide for the top of the valvespindle and also to transmit the power from the screw to the spiral spring.

In place of the screw K a cylindrical rod might be substituted to be moved vertically for regulating the pressure upon the valve G by means of bell-cranks and wires or other suitable devices placed within reach of the steersman at the wheel.

The pipe D is fitted with an air-chamber N, for preventing violent pulsations in the pipes by the action of the pump and maintaining a uniform flow of water both to the boiler and the hydraulic engine.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim as new is- 1. The piston-rod C, tiller D, and wristpin F, in combination, to transmit hydraulic pressure from the piston to the rudder of a ship, substantially in the manner specified.

2. In combination, the tiller D, column or stand A, and the detachable combined capstan and pinion O, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a hydraulic steering-engine, the combination of the hollow piston-rod B with the valve H and springs J, substantially as and forthe purposes specified.

4. In a hydraulic steering-engine, the tiller D,piston B, and valve N, in combination with the lever V and movable fulcrum u, substantially as described.

5. In combination, the valves G andH', with pipe D, substantially as specified.

6. In a hydraulic steering-engine, the combination of the valve G, thimble M, spring J, and screw K, substantially as set forth.

7. In combination,the pilot-wheel S, rod U, lever V,valve N, and the tiller D, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

8. In a hydraulic steering-engine, the valve G, provided With a pressure-spring J and regulating-screw K, in combination with the valve H, to relieve back-pressure, as set forth.

9. In a hydraulic steering-engine for steering ships, the combination, with a cylinder and a piston fitted to move therein, one of said parts being fixed to the vessel and the other coupled to the tiller, and ports at each end of said cylinder for inlet and outlet of the motive fluid, of a valve-case and a balanced double valve therein, which when moved simultaneously moves to open one of said ports and close the others, and a motive fluid under pressure which fills said cylinder with pressme in equilibrium at each side of said piston,

with suitable mechanism wherebythe steers- 35 man may move said valve at will.

JEARUM ATKINS. lVitnesses:

CHAS. MAsoN, E. O. WEAVER.

It is hereby certified that in Letters Patent No. 439,716, granted November 4, 1890, upon the application of J earum Atkins, of Washington, District of Columbia, for an improvement in Hydraulic Steering-Apparatus for Vessels, an error appears in the printed specification requiring correction, as follows: In line 4, page 3, the word piston-rod should read piston; and that the Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.-

Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 25th day of November, A. D. 1890.

[SEAL] 1 CYRUS BUSSEY,

Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

Gountersign ed O. E. MITCHELL,

Commissioner of Patents. 

